South “O” Polish Sausage Burgers

Ingredients

Red Pepper Kraut:
1 Tablespoon Colavita extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons tomato sauce
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14 ounce) can or jar sweet Bavarian style sauerkraut with caraway seeds, well drained
Dilly Cheese Spread:
1 cup soft goat cheese
2 Tablespoons high quality mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/4 cup finely chopped baby kosher dill pickles
Patties:
1 (1 ounce) slice soft rye bread
1/2 pound smoked polish sausage, with casings removed
1 1/2 pounds fresh polish sausage, with casings removed and meat crumbled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
6 Kaiser rolls, split

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the red pepper kraut, in a medium bowl whisk together the olive oil and tomato sauce. Add the red pepper strips, green pepper strips and onion slices and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and place in a large grill pan. Place on the grill rack and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are very tender, stirring frequently. Place in a medium, fire-proof saucepan along with the sauerkraut and stir to combine. Keep warm.

To make the dilly cheese spread, in a medium bowl combine the goat cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh dill, and chopped pickles. Cover and refrigerate, but bring to room temperature before serving.

To make the patties, process the rye bread in the bowl of a food processor until fine crumbs are formed. Set aside. In the same bowl of the food processor, pulse the smoked polish sausage until finely chopped. In a large bowl gently combine the rye crumbs, the chopped smoked polish sausage, the fresh polish sausage and salt. Form into 6 patties sized to fit the rolls.

Brush the grill rack with the vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, for 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium doneness. During the last few minutes of patties cooking, place the rolls cut sides down on the outer edges of the grill rack to lightly toast.

To assemble the burgers, spread an equal amount of the dilly cheese spread onto the cut sides of the rolls. Onto each roll bottom place a cooked patty, an equal amount of the red pepper kraut and a roll top.

Makes 6 burgers